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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Libertad" data-source="post: 9479154" data-attributes="member: 6750502"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/jTvMvTV.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /><a href="https://www.dmsguild.com/product/370736/Atop-Mount-Ghakis--expanded-maps-and-content-for-Curse-of-Strahd" target="_blank">Product Link</a>Product Type: AdventureCoS-Required? YesContinuing on a theme established by the previous post’s product, Atop Mount Ghakis sets out to remedy the perceived weak spots of Tsolenka Pass. In the default adventure it’s little more than a waypoint to the Amber Temple, the goat Sangzor is a nuisance rather than a threat at the average expected level, and the roc is a one-note encounter at best.Atop Mount Ghakis makes these two animals have a more involved story and sidequest. The Roc of Mount Ghakis was magically enslaved by Strahd in order to destroy the Order of the Silver Dragon in war. As for Sangzor, he’s not a goat but an immortal polymorphed druid who was once part of the Valley’s original inhabitants before Strahd conquered it. Sangzor cooperated with Strahd when he threatened the lives of the druids, giving the vampire a magical collar to enslave the roc. But Strahd feared that the archdruid would turn on him one day, so he had Sangzor’s tongue cut out so he could not pose a threat with his great spells. Now, the roc guards the way to the Amber Temple so that nobody else could claim its secrets. Sangzor regrets his role in Barovia’s subjugation, and lives out his days in goat form, hating his old human self.There are options for tying Madam Eva’s Tarokka results to Sangzor and the Roc: the former as a potential Fated Ally, possibly replacing the default Beast or Broken One, and the latter having one of the three treasures in its nest for the 3 of Swords result. That placement would ordinarily be in the Tsolenka Pass Guard Tower.The adventure begins as the party crosses the stone bridge to the north of Tsolenka Pass. The roc attacks the party as in the default module, but instead it grabs an NPC, precious item, or something the PCs would not want to go without before flying off. The PCs can follow the roc up the peaks via overland travel on Barovia’s hex map, needing to overcome a series of skill checks to avoid injuries, additional time taken, and disadvantage on future checks. While climbing they can find poetic stone carvings written in a mixture of Common and Druidic, hinting at the history of the druids, the roc, and Barovia’s prior inhabitants.The first combat encounter before the roc’s nest is a mountain switchback patrolled by Sangzor. The druid has a Snare spell set up (which requires verbal components and is thus at odds with his stat block) and will cast Thunderclap once a PC triggers it in order to cause a rockslide. He will then attempt to use his Charge attack to knock any half-buried PCs down the slopes. However, Sangzor will surrender if Kavan’s Blood Spear is wielded against him* or he’s forced back into his human form twice. As he cannot speak verbally, he uses the Mold Earth cantrip to create pictures in the ground to communicate with the party, and he’ll try to tell them about Strahd’s magical domination of the roc and the means to free it. For a show of goodwill, he will share potions and a magic scroll with the party, the latter of which he can create but not cast as part of a short rest.*Kavan was his brother, you see.I imagine that the pictographs are fanciful, but I don’t get why he cannot make letters in Common (or Druidic) to communicate. He certainly can read and write, and he does write in Common briefly during his description of the roc but not at any other time. We also get a sidebar for tips on roleplaying Sangzor: imagine a depressed druid distrustful of others, and everyone he knows (besides the roc) is now dead.So how does Sangzor stack up as an NPC? Well, he’s an 18th-level Druid for starters, but with no tongue he is unable to cast any spells with verbal components. While he does have up to 9th level spell slots, he’s more or less restricted to low-level spells, and besides Thunderclap and Primal Savagery his only directly offensive spell is Ice Knife. Absorb Elements, Beast Sense, and Snare are his only other leveled spells. Twice per day he can take the shape of a Monstrous Goat, which has a unique stat block with a decent 45 hit points, is Large, and has a ram and charge attack that can push targets back on top of additional damage. Skillwise Sangzor is proficient in Medicine, Nature, and Perception, and with a 20 Wisdom and +4 Proficiency Bonus he makes for a great scout or nightwatch sentry.As a Fated Ally, I’d rate Sangzor as lower-middle: he is decently more powerful than several of the weaker options in Curse of Strahd, but given that he’s on the way to the Amber Temple and requires a difficult sidequest to unlock, that brings him down several pegs. His cut tongue severely limits his utility as a caster, and as there’s no easy means in the module of regrowing lost body parts, his only real offensive options in battle are cantrips and ramming charges.The next combat encounter takes place at a mass grave of destroyed caravans and corpses of the roc’s former victims. A gallows speaker and specter will rise from the gravesite, and as they attack the party the PCs will experience visions of the past where Strahd used the crown alongside a younger Sangzor to enslave the roc and his later victory over the knights after using it as a mount. After defeating the undead, the roc will appear on the horizon after letting out a loud screech, giving the party one minute to prepare for battle.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/bIBCPYi.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />The roc’s collar cannot be physically removed. It requires five successful Arcana or Nature checks, as grabbing it causes the thorns to dig in deeper. Using Dispel Magic counts as two successes. Additionally, appearing calm and/or assertive via Animal Handling can cause the roc to either ignore the skill-user or draw its attention as a target. Sangzor can explain all of this earlier in the adventure if he was parlayed with after his initial appearance.The roc also has lair actions it can use to either blow strong winds or create necromantic vortices with its wings to raise more undead, making it a proper boss battle. The roc’s nest, in addition to whoever or whatever it initially stole, has some other treasure ranging from coins and art objects, a driftglobe, silver longsword, a Lantern of Tracking (designed for undead, flame glows bright green when within 300 feet of an undead creature), and potions in a now-broken crate designated for delivery to one Dr. Mordenheim in Lamordia.If the PCs manage to free the roc, Sangzor will be grateful, and the roc can fly them anywhere within Barovia one time. If the roc is slain and Sangzor’s still alive, he will accept that this outcome was inevitable but still resent the party, and continues to wander the lands in goat form.The book ends with a list of magic items and monster/NPC stat blocks, and Troubleshooting tips covering common dilemmas such as having Sangzor keeping a private journal if the party killed the druid. Or if a PC gets captured by the roc, then they control Sangzor as a temporary replacement. Or if the party is at risk of a TPK, Sangzor signals for them to retreat while getting the roc’s attention.Overall Thoughts: I like how this supplement fleshes out Tsolenka Pass’ otherwise lackluster animal encounters, but ironically it takes them away from the Pass proper, still making the location itself a rather uneventful waypoint. Giving more of a backstory to Barovia’s original inhabitants and turning the roc into a proper quest with lore and rewards helps elevate its status beyond a random encounter.However, I am not really sold on Sangzor as a Fated Ally, and the module leaves some things contradictory or open. For instance, he cannot cast Snare as it has a verbal component. And while it’s supposedly a one-time thing, his ability to create a scroll for a spell he cannot cast is going to have players ask how often he can do this and for what spells. Ironically that may make him a more effective Fated Ally, but it’s not something the adventure takes into consideration.Join us next time as we wrap up this trio of adventure-encounters with Beneath Old Bonegrinder!</blockquote>

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